Does it hurt you in the long run to lose more slowly?

Okay here is my thoughts on the matter for what they are worth.  Everyone is different.  We all have different paths that got us to this place and we will all have different paths to get us to where we want to be.  I say take advantage as best you can those first months because that is the easiest time to lose the weight. You have great restriction, you could possibly be less hungry, it is easy to make good choices.  Often you have detoxed off the crap and don't want it at all and it is easy to stay away. Now, that said here is my take...

I dieted before, diets failed me, I am not dieting anymore. I would diet, deprive myself and when I fell off the wagon I fell hard into a hole of weight gain, doubling what I had lost each time.  I went into this surgery with the thought that this is the way it is gonna be for life. The way I eat today is the way I am gonna eat for the rest of my life. That means I eat protein first, veggies second, all else third. I watch EVERY little morsel I put in my mouth and log it all.  But this also means that I allow myself bread, chips, drinks with a few calories, a bite or two of dessert.  It means knowing my faults and knowing I can never ever buy myself or pour myself a glass of soda because that would be it for me, it means knowing I can never have treats in the house because my will power will fail me.  I don't deprive myself, but I know myself enough.  If living my life this way means that I only lose 100lbs versus a 150 then so be it.  I would rather lose those 100lbs and keep them off than enter maintenance, allow myself those treats, fall off the wagon and gain.  So far I am happy with my progress. I haven't dropped weight at a fast pace, but I am keeping up with the majority. 106lbs in 11months is great to me! I want to lose more, or actually I want to get into another clothing size or two down, but  I am happy with who I am today compared to what I was last year. 

I guess my biggest point is...do what is doable for you.  If hitting the gas from the get go will work for you great. If you want to find a balance right away, that it good too.  I don't think either way is a gaurantee that you will get to goal, but I do know that either way will get you to a healthier weight than when you started.

Thanks so much for your reply.
 
I am only two months out, so it's hard to say how it will go long term. For now though, I am going to do my best to follow the plan my doc has.

Thanks again

I thought that when I had my band surgery.

I totally regret it and wish I had just decided to kick some butt and get the weight GONE! There were lots of other factors with the band too, but I make lots of life's decisions on this question:

Which scenario would I regret the most.... struggling to lose the weight or having more lose skin?

This time around...no question what my answer will be...

Lol, yeah, me too. The doctors can fix my skin but I am not sure I could lose the last bit on my own. I am pushing on the gas again>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Here I go!   he he

Hi Crissy 
Most of the time your losing about 1 to 3 pounds a week anyways.
There will be weeks where your not losing any.  Just talk about
how much exercise your doing, but do walk...
Please dont worry about what people think.  Just lose it for you!
Huuugs

NO, not 107 in 7 months. I lost 34 pre-op over about 6 months. And 73 since surgery 7 months ago. That's a total of 107. And I count every darned drop of weight I lose !

I intentionally tried to lose slowly, make changes I could live with for life, I lost down below my goal...  Great right?  NO.  I wish I had lost as fast as I possibly could, silly me.  I was burnt out and hated dieting and it seems now that I just had that one push left in me.  I have gained a few from my lowest, I am still below goal, but I want to lose those few pounds, and do you think I can get it together?  NO!!

I am so burnt out from dieting so much all my life, that it seems I only had this one last chance.  For now anyway.  I am sure I will get it together at some point, and drop these few pounds to my low...

But if I could do it again, I would lose EVERYTHING I could as FAST as I could...  so that I could still have it in me to maintain properly and at the lowest weight I wanted to go to...

Your skin and remaining fat will all re-adjust over time, to some degree, whether you lose fast or slow....

However, do what works best for you ok?  It is entirly up to you.

Cindy

Ok, my 2c for what it's worth..

#1. Do Not Concern yourself with what others think about your weight loss!! Who cares if they think you had surgery or not, you did this for you right? If they are nosy, they'll ask, you can answer any way you damn well please.. 

#2. Losing slowly vs fast will not do anything for your skin, at least anything really noticeable.. I lost from 305 to 155 over a couple years time when I was in my early 20's. I had tons of excess skin.. losing slow doesn't do much, if it's going to be there.. it'll be there! I can say now at 38, I'm seeing about the same skin again.. If there's going to be improvement over a year or two- great. However, from my first time doing the "big drop" I didn't see much improvement at all, and I maintained in the same 20lb range for almost 5 years before I started to regain.. It is what it is. 

My feeling, stick as close to plan as you can and shed it as fast as you can.. you can burn out, you can get lax and stop losing, you can get some expansion in the belly and/or have a more hunger/stress/etc and find it much harder to get those lbs off.. so take advantage of it now, and get it off as quickly & healthy as you can. You'll have your entire life ahead of you to work/fight on maintaining, don't start with that mindset even a little bit before you get to the point where you want to be.. 

I agree that if you can lose it fast, go for it. I still have a little of the old WW mantra in the back of my mind: "If you lose too fast you'll gain it back fast." I'm trying to convince myself that this time will be different because I have the sleeve. I have lost a lot of weight before in a short time (over 50 lbs. in about 5 months****pt it off for 3 years until i got pregnant. But I did it by starving myself. I didn't take vitamins and ate low fat. When I started eating again I got fatter than ever.

Anyway, this time I'm doing it right. I'm eating healthy, getting plenty of protein and taking vitamins. I'm really trying to get that fast losing/fast gaining thing out of my head.